A prominent Syrian writer was arrested by the Al-Nusra Front (Jabhat Al-Nusra) in the Idlib Governorate following a campaign of raids around the countryside of this province. The writer, ‘Aarif Al-Khateeb, was arrested along with his fiancé inside their home located in the village of Al-Rami last night – the reason for his detention is believed to be a result of his outspoken criticism of the Al-Nusra Front’s brutality and presence in the village.
According to a source in Idlib, the Al-Nusra Front arrested dozens of civilians in the village of Al-Rami for similar reasons; he also added that the detention center for these civilians was not disclosed.
Al-Khateeb was a prominent children’s author in Syria, with a wide selection of literary works that generations of Syrian children have enjoyed. He received a degree in Arabic Language and Literature from the University of Aleppo in 1968 before beginning his successful career as a children’s author in his country of Syria. His literary works can be found all over the Arab world and in English translations.
